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HYDROGEN HUB HAT: North Dakota's hydrogen hub is among entities with its name in an $8 billion hat, seeking federal grant funds for regional hydrogen hubs. You may recall that hydrogen hubs were on the Department of Energy's list of "moonshot" ideas in the early days of the Biden Administration. Now the department has money to put toward that goal, and it has blown the starting whistle for those grants.
I talked with Bakken Energy CEO Mike Hopkins about the grant, as well as some general questions about hydrogen, like how it will be transported. Hopkins told the Energy Chaser that about 10 million tons of hydrogen are already being produced and used in the U.S. every year, and that the technology and know-how to move hydrogen safely via cryogenic trucks or hydrogen pipelines already exists.
North Dakota's plant has several advantages in a national competition for regional hydrogen hubs, Hopkins believes. Perhaps chief among these is its plan to source natural gas from the MHA Nation. That will help curb flaring on the reservation. One of the federal criteria for energy funding these days includes showing a benefit to historically disadvantaged communities.
I've had more questions come in about the hydrogen hub since the story was written, and I'm working on getting the company's answers to those questions. So stay tuned, and hopefully we'll have more on the subject in a future edition.
BAKKEN CHILI TIME: Every oilfield service company I talked to at the Williston API's annual chili cook-off talked about how busy things are getting for their sector as spring approaches. But they weren't too busy to take a little time out for the annual chili blowout, which raises thousands of dollars for worthy community causes every year. The oil and gas workers with boots on the ground have a very different take on the Bakken's future. Whatever ESG analysts think of the play, they're bullish for the Bakken. Meanwhile, state officials have released data showing that the Bakken is wider and deeper than ever before, thanks to technology. That's extending the lifetime of the play, and we'll have more on what that data is showing and what it means for us in a future edition of the Energy Chaser.
BELATED PIPELINE HEARING: Caliber Midstream will go before the Public Service Commission on April 6 for a hearing on a pipeline it built in 2014 and is already operating. The company had been seeking to make the pipeline, which ties into Northern Border, bidirectional. The PSC granted temporary permission to do that, but told the company it also has to also apply for the original siting permit if it wants that permission to stick. The bidirectional pipeline will let Caliber receive gas from Northern Border to send to a nearby truck fueling facility. With the Bakken's natural gas takeaway nearing capacity, the oilfield is continually looking for ways to use the natural gas it produces. The ceiling on natural gas capacity is among limiting factors that have been taking the top off of North Dakota's oil and gas recovery.
MORE THINGS TO KNOW: The North Dakota Petroleum Council and other industry groups wrote letters to the President recently, urging him to change course on domestic oil and gas production. An explosion at an ExxonMobile refinery in Montana is under investigation. Biden has unveiled his budget for energy, and North Dakota has extended the application deadline for the Grand Forks natural gas pipeline. We've got all that and more in this week's Energy Quick Takes. Our survey about ways to improve the Energy Chaser is also still available, and there's a chance to win a $100 gift card to Williston Hardware in it for you. The survey won't take but a few minutes to do, and will help guide us as we work to improve this service for you.
WAIT THAT'S NOT ALL : Keep scrolling down for an excellent editorial from Basin Safety Consulting's Jon Greiner. This week's rundown of energy matters is 100 percent free, including all linked articles thanks to Basin Safety Consulting. You can help keep oil and gas news free in the Bakken by recruiting a friend to sign up for this free newsletter today!
 As always, reach out if you've got more story ideas for me or you have feedback for me on this newsletter. I can be reached at rjean@willistonherald.com. I love hearing from you!
Have a job listing for the Energy Chaser? Contact Connie at crueb@willistonherald.com.
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The Safety Stinks (not really) seriesWhy ESG stinks, and how to leverage it
by Jonathon Greiner • Basin Safety Consulting
I sat down with an experienced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) fixture in the North Dakota business world recently, Jason Spiess of The Crude Life and ESG University. He provided me with a breadth of knowledge about how ESG came to be and its impact on the American marketplace.
A couple of things he clarified for me. 1) ESG in certain sectors is a regulated benchmark, however it has not taken root comprehensively. Also, the SEC has launched a task force focused on fighting climate change using ESG as their auditing tool. 2) Financial institutions will use this even at the small business level to determine who they finance and at what level. In some cases financing businesses that work with oil & gas companies are at a disadvantage due to ESG non-reporting, or low ESG scores. In his words, “If you’re talking about ESG in the boardroom now, you’re about three years behind.”
Read the rest of this excellent editorial online here.
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